Empathy: An Everyday Habit For An Entrepreneur

Empathy, as a word, should rightfully be listed down as a synonym for entrepreneurship in thesauruses worldwide. As an entrepreneur, one comes face to face with thousands of challenges on a daily basis, every element of running a business puts your grit to test, every day. For an entrepreneur, it is most important to be able to understand, to respond to a situation as opposed to reacting to it. 

An entrepreneur comes with his/her own history, beliefs, values and context. While it is important to be able to learn and unlearn in the process of being a part of the entrepreneurial journey, it is imperative to understand how can one effectively learn and unlearn.

Empathy is an important core value that can complement the unlearning and relearning cycle in the entrepreneurial journey. No matter how many challenges come your way, it is always a relief to have one unshakable pillar of belief, in this case- empathy, to be able to sail through those challenges while anchoring yourself steadily. 

It is important to stay rooted to the concept of empathy for it definitely shapes the way your organization evolves, sustains and grows. For an organization to truly realize its full potential, it is imperative for them to want to go the (extra) mile in the form of exhibiting empathy. 

So, what does it take for an entrepreneur to grow more mindful of their empathy quotient?

Connect Earnestly

Relationship building is an important part of becoming a successful entrepreneur. Learn to connect with your employees-mingle with them effortlessly. Try and deliberately create avenues that could potentially let you socialize with your employees more.

For every employee, showing that you care, goes a long way! Cultivate a genuine interest in their being, this will ensure that when you do communicate your preferences, expectations, style of management in sync with their professional commitments – they will do the same!

Connecting with them will ensure transparency, honesty and will build approachability while strengthening their morale to a great extent. 

Crediting Is Serious Business

It is essential to understand that giving credit is not all of what it takes, but also learning how to give it- that matters a lot. Your team is your everything, it is imperative to attribute your success to everyone who has been a part of your journey.

It needs to be ingrained in the team culture- the habit of giving credit the right way. One needs to celebrate their employee’s contribution to the team, it can be done by, for instance, giving them a public shout out. Ensure that you give credit in a timely manner which in turn will motivate the employee(s) to achieve even more.

Contextual management

Every employee is unique, they come with their own hopes, dreams, ambition and reason for doing what they do. In order to work with an employee effectively, it is up to the leader to be able to manage and support as and when required. Understanding your employee’s working style, pace, ethics, strengths and interest can do a lot of good when it comes to managing them.

As a leader, it is up to you to be able to recognize which employee prefers what. This way it will deepen the connection you share with the employee, while displaying increasing respect, build an amicable working environment and improve your managerial style. 

While there are several aspects to identifying and improving the empathy quotient in an organization, it is important to be able to identify the various layers to it. Deepening one’s understanding concerning empathy is a multifaceted approach, time-consuming and a meticulous one at that.

However, it is the very same process that is going to contribute to the long term health of your organization and your people. It is the one anchor that is going to root you all towards the larger picture, with a collective spirit, understanding and respect for why you do what you do.

In this ever-expanding world, it is important to be able to carve your identity out as an entrepreneur. You can bet on goals, profits and turnovers to carve your identity out. For you to get far in your entrepreneurial journey, you have to first place a bet on “empathy” to be a part of your organization’s identity.